Santorum Speeches Well Done, Substantive, GOP Strategist Says

Rick Santorum's presidential campaign is finally starting to gain traction. The former Pennsylvania GOP senator has moved up to third place in two major Iowa polls, trailing only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.

But given that he hasn’t held office in Washington for five years, it’s difficult to discern whether Santorum’s political glory days are behind or ahead of him, Politico reports.

In Muscatine, Iowa, Thursday, Santorum recalled going “toe to toe with [Sens.] Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Ted Kennedy,” both of whom are now dead. And the candidate played up all he learned by sitting on the Ways and Means Committee when he was in the House – 1991-95.

But Chris Nicholas, a veteran Pennsylvania GOP strategist, points to Santorum’s strengths. “He is a good to eloquent speaker,” Nicholas told Politico. “Unlike some of the questions you have with a Bachmann or a Perry, there’s obviously a lot of content there. ... There’s a trail there of talking about federal issues for a long time.”